Can you guess which sports cause the most injuries to high school girls and boys? According to the Center for Injury Research and Policy at National Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, girls get hurt most in basketball and soccer generate, and guys in football and wrestling.

High school girl hoops players suffered 34 severe injuries per 10,000 athletic exposures (practice sessions or games) and 33 per 10,000 for soccer. Football had the highest severe injury rate at 69 per 10,000 athletic exposures, followed by wrestling at 52 per 10,000.

The rate in all boys’ sports at 45 was higher than all girls’ sports at 26. However, among directly comparable sports such as soccer, basketball and baseball/softball, girls sustained a higher severe injury rate than boys at 29 per 10,000, compared to 23 for boys. Basketball had the greatest discrepancy with girls suffering 34 per 10,000 compared to the boys’ rate of 24 per 10,000.

Of particular concern is the higher incidence of concussion in girls, the fourth most common soccer injury following sprains, muscle strains and contusions. According to a troubling new study, 41% of concussed high school athletes returned to play too soon. A repeat concussion in an athlete who’s still experiencing symptoms can lead to disability and even death.

Under American Academy of Neurology guidelines, if an athlete has a loss of consciousness or has concussion symptoms such as dizziness and nausea lasting longer than 15 minutes, he or she should be benched until symptom free for at least a week. A recent study of football players found that 16% who lost consciousness during a concussion returned to the field the same day.

Studies show that girls are 4-6 times more likely than boys to tear their anterior cruciate ligament, important for knee stability. The reason is unclear, although some believe that estrogen loosens girls’ ligaments and lower testosterone levels limit muscle growth that can be protective of joints exposed to stress.

Boys are more likely to injure their ankles than their knees from sports injuries. But when boys injure their ACL it tends to be in their dominant kicking leg, while girls tend to injure the ACL in the supporting leg. Research has shown that proper training and conditioning can reduce the risk of ACL injury by up to 30%.

The cause of girls’ susceptibility to heat illness is unknown. A study of heat illness over several years in a large youth soccer tournament found that girls were nearly twice as likely as boys to suffer heat-related illness, such as exhaustion, dehydration, dizziness, nausea, and cramping when the heat index exceeded 84˚. Good conditioning, more frequent substitution, pregame hydration and frequent hydration during the event are key to preventing heat-related illness.